The Verge: Louis Ozawa Changchien

How do you stand out in the ensemble cast of Predators, which features actors like Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, and Topher Grace? Simple: you bring a big freakin' samurai sword. As the Yakuza assassin Hanzo, Louis Ozawa Changchien gets what may be the Nimrod Antal-helmed reboot's most striking scene: a "mano-a-alien" battle royale that draws on Chanchien's years of Kendo experience. Still, while the swordfighting skill is all his, in real life, Changchien couldn't be more different: he's a quick-witted nice guy who's just as excited about his considerably more down-to-earth roles coming up in Fair Game and Kathryn Bigelow's new project.

Last week, Changchien called up Movieline to discuss those parts as well as one of his earliest roles: a Jell-O pudding commercial opposite Bill Cosby himself that left him battle-scarred in a way far worse than any swordfight gone awry.

Predators has a very, small intimate cast. Did it bond you guys in the same way that it bonded your characters?

Absolutely. We shot it chronologically for the most part, so all of the cast members were there the first day that we shot. We were in Hilo, Hawaii, which is kind of a touristy place, and there isn't much to do at night -- actually, there isn't anything to do at night. The restaurants close at 8:30. We pretty much hung out all the time, on set all day, at dinner, working out in the gym. It brought us really close together, and I can say that I have seven really good friends now.

Was it super rainy during the shoot?

Yeah, we were there during the rain season, so it rained, like, five times a day. It would rain, then get really hot, then rain, then get really shot. Our first day was just a downpour, and then that had to continue for the rest of the film -- for continuity reasons, we were sprayed down with water for the entire film for every shot, and I was wearing a cashmere suit in the jungle! I smelled like a wet sheep. It became this big joke on the set, and actually, when we were done with the film, we doused our continuity person in water.

So tell me how you got the role.

It was a great gift that kind of fell out of the sky. I have to thank Nimrod and [executive producer Robert Rodriguez] for putting so much trust in me. I actually put myself on tape, believe it or not, and never met either Nimrod or Robert before we started shooting. I met them in Hawaii. It was pretty amazing. I've never had a gig like this before.

Did you have to show off your swordfighting skills on tape?

I did. I've been practicing Kendo since I was five years old, and it was an amazing opportunity for me and also my Kendo sensei. The people at Troublemaker [Studios] had been really great to me, and I asked them if I could have my sensei come to set and choreograph my fight. He was on set for about two weeks, and he's like a second father to me, so I was really proud.

OK, so clearly there's a fight scene where you start carving up some Predators with a sword. What can you say about it?

I don't know how much I can tell you, but it was an amazing experience. It's a showdown between myself and a particular Predator -- it's a new one, not the original Predator. There's a moment in the film where Hanzo's had enough of running and has kind of a showdown with this guy, and Nimrod, the director, wanted a very old-school battle [with] wide shots and not many jump cuts so you could really see the fighting that's going on. It takes place in the middle of this grassy field with wind blowing -- we had about three wind machines going on. We'd been sprayed down in every shot, this was my moment to take off my shirt, and that day we shot it in Texas, it was about thirty degrees.

Jesus.

Yeah. [Laughs] If you look carefully in the film, you can see the steam coming off my chest.

Was it weird to ask your sensei to choreograph a battle where one of the fighters is a Predator?

Well, it was a collaborative process between the stunt coordinator, my stuntman, and Brian Steele, who's the gentleman who plays several of the Predators in the film. It took about two weeks, and it was really difficult at first to figure out the vocabulary of the Predator's movements. Much more so than my movements.

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